EU-ASEAN: two to tango?

Summary:

Both the EU and ASEAN are very different multi-dimensional regional entities with quite different histories, objectives, structures and capacities. It is this asymmetry that is at the heart of the difficulties in their attempts at inter-regional cooperation.

This study, Notre Europe’s fifth in its series on Regional integration, provides an overview of these relations by examining two intertwined dimensions, namely the political and the economic. Two 'flies in the ointment' in the political arena are examined, namely the question of the Indonesian annexation of the former Portuguese colony of East Timor and, a continued source of aggravation, the problem of a repressive regime in Burma/Myanmar.

On these two issues European interventionist practice within Europe clashes with ASEAN’s sacrosanct principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of a member country. In examining the economic dimension, the study provides a statistical overview of trade between the two regional bodies and highlights the importance of European FDI in Southeast Asia. The study concludes with an assessment of the future of EU-ASEAN relations.